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You can’t trust ants (they are in cahoots with the aphids!)
When I saw an aphid infestation on my willow tree, I thought to myself ‘don’t panic, there will be a biological control along soon enough’. When I saw the ants I thought the problem was solved. I was wrong. It turns out when you see something like this: It is a beautiful example of a…
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Making a fairy garden (part 1)
If you listened to this weeks episode of my podcast, you will know I have decided to turn part of the front garden into a fairy garden. There is a patch at the side which just has a lilac and bits and bobs and doesn’t look particularly pleasant. So, I got my thinking cap on…
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Finally transplanting tomatoes and cucumbers into polytunnel
Thanks to the great Scottish weather we’ve had for the last few weeks, my plants are really suffering but I’ve finally managed to get some tomatoes and a few ill-looking cucumbers transplanted into the polytunnel on the plot. I’ve used the string method, where you tie the string to a bar at the top of…
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How am I supposed to grow with this?
I can’t stress enough how desperately I need to get my tomatoes and courgettes etc planted out – but – the weather, oh the weather. Ok, I know it’s a cliche that us Brits go on about the weather but if you’re not from here there are 2 things (probably more) that you need to…
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A Weekend of Garden Work
How can I work in the garden all weekend and still not be done? I ask myself that question as I sit, with tired arms and bits of dirt still in my eyes. I mean, I tidied the front as much as I could by cutting the grass, going round the edges a bit and…
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Garden Visitors
Spending time with the bees and butterflies in the garden. I wanted to round this week off by sharing a couple of snaps I got today when I was in the front garden. I’ve done a lot of pruning of trees there and haven’t been able to get to the branches to cut them down…
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Brassicas without the massacre
Last year was a disaster so I’m hoping this year will be a brassica win. We finally got a break in the weather to get up to the plot and get some of the brassicas in. We need to grow them under a cover with hoops due to the birds which will strip them in…
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I thought I was on a winning streak…but no…
One step forwards two steps back – some days are just like that aren’t they? The day started pretty well, I was up at a good time, got some of my cleaning done, home-schooling, other things which need done daily: all good. Come dinner time, I was on a roll and was even happier when…
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Electroculture Gardening – what is it and can it boost your harvest?
Have you heard of electroculture gardening yet? It’s thought to date back to around the 1700s and seems to be yet another one of those things we discarded into the pit of knowledge – but it’s resurfacing big time. It is claimed it can boost your harvest by 100- 300% without needing to add extra…
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The Final Polytunnel Update
In the last update I gave you on the polytunnel, I showed you the very basic structure I had managed to get together using whatever I could get my hands on. Well hold on to your chair friends because I am delighted to announce: IT’S FINISHED!! Is it perfect? Absolutely not. The pipes lean backwards…
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Sometimes garden birds are just weird!
Do you have birds or animals who visit your garden and act, well, weird? We have been visited by 2 birds in particular who were so weird I had to record what they were doing. The quality isn’t the best, I know, but I don’t have a great video camera as yet (and no I…
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Making Herbal Teas – comparing methods
When making a herbal tea, most people will think either 1. put the stuff in a teapot or 2. just throw them in the cup you’re using – I’ve done both but I have found some other methods which I use too depending on what the tea is for. If you have a cold for…
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